The Very Avatar of Love
by Ikubak
Summary: Love. Quite a mysterious subject. One can be truly happy when in love with one who loves one back. It's all the crap that one has to fo through to get there that's a pain. RaeRob


**Disclaimer: **Don't own 'em. Get over it!

* * *

Prologue

Daughter of the Shadows

Just by looking outside, you would not be able to tell that it was six o'clock in the morning. The gray clouds and pounding rain set a dark and gloomy atmosphere for the citizens of Jump City.

Of course she hardly ever knew what time of day it was when she was locked up in her room. Not one ray of light could pass through her closed up room. The mood she had set in her quarters was most definitely a dreary one. And unless she had a calendar in her room, there was no sure-fire way for her to tell that it just happened to be Valentine's Day; her least favorite holiday.

Seeing as how her powers caused her to not show emotions, she'd never been too thrilled about the idea of having to witness large feats of affection and love. She had never been able to reveal her true feelings to anyone. If her emotions were to leak out of her, it would surely be disastrous. As a child, she was forced to be the one to stand alone in the corner, fearing that her secrets would cause utter destruction to her home realm of Azarath.

As she got older, she began to slowly gain control of her powers. But when she came to earth alone, she began experiencing all new emotions like loneliness and pain. Joining the Teen Titans gave her a little more reassurance, but soon her emotions would either make or break her. All on this one day of love.

_The Very Avatar of Love_

Raven slowly opened her eyes. She saw nothing but darkness; she squeezed her lids together and re-opened them widely. This time, she saw her dark room. She scanned around until she saw flashing red series of lights. It was her digital clock/calendar.

_Time-6:07am _

_Date-2/14_

Raven turned her attention away from the clock for a moment. She began carrying on like normal; she removed her covers from her body, instantaneously feeling an onslaught of cold air, raising the hairs on her skin. Raven didn't mind the cold; she stood and began to stretch until she stopped, frozen. She wore a look of shock as the tissue box on her nightstand exploded in a black aura. She slowly turned around, praying that she didn't see what she thought she would.

_Date-2/14_

"Shit." Raven whispered as her clock/calendar exploded, taking away what little light it shed through her room.

-

Downstairs in front of Titan Tower, a large crate was being carried up the steps to Titan Tower's front door. The label on the crate was addressed:

To: The Teen Titan's

From: All of your loving fans.

The figure that set down the box was encased in shadows; all that could be made out was the cloak they were wearing silhouetted as they turned away from the tower and back into the unforgiving rain on this fateful Valentine's Day.

-

"It's Valentine's Day" Raven coughed out. Even saying the name hollowed her stomach. Raven let out a sigh and suddenly her usually emotionless facade was replaced by a look of sadness, depression even. Raven silently levitated herself into her personal bathroom. Raven then lowered herself to the floor. It felt like ice on her bare feet. She walked to the shower and turned the hot water knob on, followed by the cold-water knob. Raven undressed and threw her discarded apparel into the nearby hamper. Raven stuck her hands in the water and made sure it was not too hot or too cold. Feeling secure with the temperature of the water, she stepped into the shower. The slightly hot water soothed her body; it felt as if it was washing her troubles away.

Her thoughts began to drift back to the fact that it was her least favorite day of the year. Raven began to think about all of the past Valentine's Days she has spent alone in her room. Sure, Raven has felt physical attractions to certain men, but her powers would not allow her to act on these feelings. Not to mention that the only instance in which Raven swore she would act on her feelings was if she was experiencing true love. But as far as she knew, true love hadn't occurred for her.

Setting down her bar of lavender scented soap; Raven turned the water off and stepped out of her shower into the hazy, steam-filled room. She reached for her burgundy towel hanging on her silver towel rack. She dried off her ashen skin and wrapped the towel around her body, concealing her breasts down to her mid-thigh. Raven walked toward the door leading back into her room.

The air in her room was freezing. The steam from the bathroom immediately diffused into the cold air of her room. Raven hurriedly strolled to her oak armoire. She pulled open a drawer at the bottom of the hand-carved chest and pulled out a matching set of undergarments. Raven slid into her undergarments and immediately felt less exposed. Sighing, she grabbed a bottle of lavender lotion and went to sit down on her bed. As Raven put the lotion on, her thoughts began to drift.

_I can't believe this. I've completely lost track of the dates. There's so much damned crime this week, I didn't have time to focus on this God forsaken day! _Raven finished rubbing in the lotion on her legs and arms. She stood and approached her armoire once more. She placed the lotion down, opened up the two doors on her armoire and saw her wardrobe. Sadly, Raven's _wardrobe _consisted of nine sets of her uniform and a set of pajamas. _Maybe I should go to mall with Star. . . Nah, nothing is worth that kind of torture. _Raven shuddered at the thought of the clothes Starfire would make her try on. Coming back to reality, Raven pulled out her black leotard. She unzipped it and slid into the skin-tight article of clothing. Once her body was all the way in, Raven telekinetically zipped up her leotard. Raven had planned on just lying in her room for another hour. She flopped down onto her bed and shut her eyes.

But just as soon as she got comfortable, she heard a voice, "Titans! Mail call!"

Raven dreadfully opened her eyes. She snarled with anger rising in her chest. All she wanted was to keep to herself today, but now she's got to watch everyone else read their love notes, smell their flowers, and eat their damned chocolates. Raven slammed her hand on her bed and got back up. She slipped on her nearby boots quickly. Raven then stomped to her closet and tore a cloak off of a hanger. She quickly put it on and headed towards her door. She punched in a five-digit password, sighed deeply, and pressed 'Enter.' Her door swished open as she raised her hood over her head, cast shadows over her face.

Raven began to levitate; she sat airborne in her meditative position. She began gliding down the narrow hall. She passed by two metal doors, one said 'Utility Closet' and the other said 'Starfire.' Raven and Starfire shared the east wing of the tower and the boys were all in the west wing. Raven continued floating down the empty hall. Seeing as how it was completely silent, Raven assumed that Star had already joined the others in the Rec. Room. Raven came closer to the curtain separating the girls' room and the rest of the tower. She reached it and once again stopped in her tracks.

Raven breathed in deeply and, "Aaah!" Raven was just trampled by a green dog, next a large cybernetic teen flew over her sprawled out body.

"Watch out Rae, I'ma kill Old Yeller over here!" Raven watched as the scene that just knocked her down play out. The yelling became distant and soon, she no longer saw either of the teens. Feeling that Cyborg had already caught the green changeling, Raven sat up. A gloved hand reached out in front of her. She followed the arm to see her smiling leader towering over her smiling.

"Uh thanks." Raven said as she accepted the hand. Robin pulled Raven to her feet. She dusted off her uniform. _Okay, I'll bite. _"What's up with those two?" She deadpanned.

Robin thought for a moment, "Well, Cyborg got a love letter and Beast Boy decided that he'd see who it was from before Cyborg."

Raven stared blankly, "He didn't just look at the return address?" She asked dryly.

"We can only expect so much from Beast Boy, you of all people should know that." Robin declared smiling.

Raven found herself smiling slightly with Robin. Robin felt the need to comment, "What's this? The mighty Raven, smiling? Oh I must inform the editor of the Jump City Times!"

Raven looked at Robin smirking, "Okay you do that. Oh and don't forget to tell them about how the leader of the Teen Titans was brutally murdered and chopped up by his co-member Raven."

That particular comment shut Robin up for now. _Well, I tried._

"So," Raven began, "Where's Starfire? I thought I would have heard her Oh- joyous-day-of-Valentine's crap by now." Raven began heading into the main room, Robin quickly followed.

"Don't worry, she's already read us part one of forty-seven part Tamaranian poem of Valentines. Right she's… making breakfast." The boy wonder said, dreading the last part of his statement.

Raven wore a look of utter disgust. She shuddered at the thought of having to consume some insect she's never even heard of, "Star made breakfast? And you didn't stop her? Way to go Robin."

Raven strolled into the living room. She telepathically conveyed a book into her grasp. She then took her usual seat on the far couch and was soon lost in the pages of her novel. Raven began to feel eyes boring into her soul. She looked up and noticed Robin staring at her, frozen.

Raising an eyebrow, Raven said, "Can I help you Robin?" It sounded more like a threat than a question.

Robin immediately jumped. He blushed and just offered a sly smile, _Way to go Robin. _"Oh uh, sorry Raven. Just uh, thinking." _Technically that is the truth. _He thought to himself. Feeling a little insecure about his situation, Robin headed to the kitchen to see what kind of torture Star was preparing. He sat upon a stool as Starfire brought a platter of chunky purple gelatin with green "objects" inside of it. He decided to take a chance, "Uh, Star… what _is _that?"

Starfire eyed Robin with large, confused eyes, "Why, friend Robin, it is called Florkin Zarguns with Chorjux wastes inside." Starfire leaned close to Robin, awaiting his response.

Robin had no idea what to say, "D-did you say _wastes?_"

"Why yes Robin." She leaned closer, more intent. Her cheerful stare turned into a harsh glare, "Why?" she hissed through gritted teeth.

Robin shrunk back in fear, "S-sounds good Star!" She squeaked.

Starfire turned back to the stove to resume her cooking. Robin sighed in relief. Ever since Beast Boy decided to make a truthful statement on Starfire's cooking, Star had begun taking the Titan's liking her food more seriously.

_Flashback_

_T_he Titan's were sitting at the table, poking at yet another creation of Starfire's. It was she called Rhonian Vhirgut.

Beast Boy, had been on a joke spree that week, so he decided to try his luck then, "Hey Star, know what the most modern form of torture is? Your cooking!" Just then, Beast Boy burst into his solo laughter. He noticed that no one else was laughing. Instead, as Beast Boy opened his eyes, he saw that everyone else was looking at something to Beast Boy's right. He cautiously turned his head towards what had grabbed the Titan's attention.

He never saw it coming. What he saw was an enraged Starfire; her green glowing eyes stared down into the depths of Beast Boys soul. She raised a hand and seized Beast Boy cranium. She raised him off of his seat and threw him through four separate walls. That night the Titans learned two things: Never talk about Star's cooking and Beast Boy was more hard-headed than they thought, harder than five walls of oak.

_End Flashback_

_R_obin spun his barstool around and rested his elbows on the counter. He just observed the living room and its inhabitant. _There's just something about Raven that I just can't put my finger on. It's almost like… _Robin's thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched scream from the east wing. Robin looked to Raven and then they both turned their attention the curtain separating the east wing from the Rec. Room. Soon Cyborg walked through, a grin on his face and a note in his hand.

"Got it back huh?" Robin asked. It was a truly idiotic question, seeing as how Cyborg was flashing the note like it was worth millions.

"Oh yeah!" He gloated. The grin on his face grew proud.

"And Beast Boy," Raven deadpanned, "I trust you mangled him and then beat him to a pulp?"

"Well I mangled him a'ight, but I didn't beat him too a pulp. I mean, who would place the Game Station wit me?" Cyborg then approached the mail-filled crate in the room and slid his letter inside.

Raven silently agreed to his decision and went back to her book.

Meanwhile, Robin looked to the large crate in the living room, _Oh! _He realized he'd forgotten to distribute the mail within the crate. He stood and strolled over to the large wooden box. "Titans, assemble!" He yelled, as if there was danger in the city.

Each Titan shot a glance up at Robin and, in a flash, they were all in front of him. Raven had dropped her book, Beast Boy and Cyborg dropped their controllers for the Game Station, and Starfire dropped a bowl of white and red slop onto the kitchen floor.

Now, in front of their leader, the Titans looked at him and then the crate. After a third double take, the Titans glared at their leader.

"You assembled us, had us thinking' there was trouble for the mail?" Cyborg said grimly.

Robin stuttered, "Uh, y-yeah?"

Cyborg squinted his eyes even more so at his leader, he took in a deep breath through his nostrils, "Well let's start readin' our love letters! Open the box!"

After giving Cyborg a confused and relieved look, Robin pulled out a crowbar and took the lid off of the massive box, inside were hundreds of letters. Robin's expression went blank, "How are we going to sort all of this?" He asked.

Beast Boy brightened, "No worries! I'm an expert organizer."

Raven saw opportunity, "Last time I saw your room, there was fungus growing on the windows, and Silkie was searching through discarded clothes for food."

Beast Boy glared at Raven, suddenly his glare was replaced by a despicable smirk, "Well why don't you try lookin' at my room from a different perspective?"

Raven went wide-eyed and her eyes soon turned to narrow glowing slits, out of nowhere an onslaught of household item came charging at Beast Boy.

"Raven don't!" Robin yelled, intervening just before skillets, the coffee pot, and a chair killed Beast Boy. "Do it _after _he sorts the mail."

So Beast Boy morphed into a gopher and began sorting. By the time he was finished there were two massive piles, two medium-sized pile and one lone letter.

Beast Boy and Starfire went and grabbed a pair of wheelbarrows for their letters, Cyborg and Robin scooped theirs into their arms, and Cyborg handed Raven her letter. Soon all of the Titans were in their rooms reading their love notes, all but one. Raven was still standing in the living room, staring at her letter, shocked that she'd even received one. _Who could have possibly? _Raven allowed her thoughts to drift, wondering who might have sent her the letter. She walked slowly back to her room, thinking of the people who would have sent it. _Cyborg? No, he decided not to send any this year. Although, that excuse could just be a bluff- _But Raven knew better, Cyborg had always been like an older brother to her. She knew that he would never make a move on her. _Beast Boy?_ Raven shuddered at the thought, _Nah; he doesn't have the balls to ask a girl out. Letter or not, he couldn't do it. _Beast Boy used to have a thing for Raven, and quite possibly still does. She found out from Cyborg, Beast Boy had told him and not but five minutes later, she saw him in the hall.

"Hey, Rae how are ya'?"

"Fine, you?" She replied, giving a soft smile.

"I'm good. Oh and Beast Boy likes you. Have a nice day!"

"Tell me something I don't know."

It was as if it were a normal everyday conversation. Raven's façade never faltered and Cyborg never lifted his gaze from the magazine in his hand.

_That leaves Robin, _Raven thought as she punched in her five-digit pass and hit 'Enter.' Her door flew open and she entered the darkness of her lonely room. She looked to her digital clock/calendar and saw that she had broken it. She decided to turn her gaze to the grandfather clock by her door.

_8:23_

_No Raven! Do not go back to that! _Raven used to like her leader, possibly even loved him. It plunged her into a world of pain. They had actually tried it, to see how it would go. Raven was never really comfortable around Robin during that time, he had tried really hard to make it work, she'd give him that, but her emotions spoke otherwise. Raven felt as if Robin was pushing her into doing something that she could not do, something that could cause disaster. They broke up after only two months of "dating," if you could even call it that.

Raven pushed those thoughts to the back of her head and returned her focus to the letter, okay now mystery boy, _or girl. Oh God please let it be a male. _Raven passed that last thought aside. She reached for a letter opener in the top drawer of her nightstand. She pulled it out and slid it past the underside of the envelope's flap. She pulled out the folded piece of paper. It was plain, no fancy decorations or word art, Raven never did like elegant things. She opened it and what she saw was positively mind-boggling.

Efbs Sbwfo,

J kvtu xbou zpv up lopx, J mpwf zpv. Nffu nf po uif qppg bu uxp qn.

Bopoznpvt

And that was it, gibberish! The author of the note had also typed it, so penmanship was not an option in discovering who this mystery person was.

The first thing that Raven thought was that the person who wrote this was just playing a prank. Raven was fuming; she decided to think it out before she erupted.

_Okay, there has to be a logical explanation for all of this, this letter must have some deeper meaning._

Raven picked up the letter once more and stared at it, long and hard. She scanned her mind for any possible thing that the letter could mean or represent. _Come on Raven, Think! _Raven was racking her brain; soon she felt that it was coming. It had to do with something she read, something in one of her novels. _It was— Oh! Here it comes! _

'Knock Knock!'

"Friend Raven, the feast of mornings is prepared!" Starfire's cheery voice echoed through Raven's room.

_There it goes. _Raven thought, "I'll be out in a minute Star."Raven's voice came out a little harsher than intended, but Raven did not have the patience to apologize. She heard Star's slow footsteps d rag away. Releasing a sigh of frustration, Raven grabbed her latest novel, 'Digital Fortress' and headed into the kitchen to eat. And eating today would be the equivalent to dying.

Raven appeared in the living room floating book in hand. She looked to the rest of the Titans in their seats. They looked as if they were about to undergo harsh torture, and in a sense, they were. Raven took her usual seat next to Cyborg. Robin, at the head of the table and to Raven's left, always got to enjoy the luxury of watching Silkie inhale his food.

Starfire came bouncing into the kitchen with bowls in hand. She set each bowl in front of the Titans. "Where is my beloved Silkie?" She asked, "You all enjoy your meal friends, I will go find my little Bumgorf!"

All of the Titans watched as Starfire flew off into the rooms to find Silkie. Once out of sight, Raven opened a black portal. Raven threw her bowl in the portal, followed by Robin, and then Cyborg. Just as Beast Boy was about to put his meal in there the portal closed.

"What about me?" Beast Boy whined.

"What _about _you?" Raven said smirking.

"C'mon Raven! Please!" He begged.

"No way you sleazy pervert." She stated sounding annoyed.

Realizing he had no chance of winning, Beast Boy slumped back into his chair and began to whimper. Just then, Beast Boy had something that rarely comes for him: An idea!

"Raven?" He said in a singsong voice, "If you don't let me get rid of the food then I'll tell Star that you got rid of yours."

Beast Boy felt that he had won the war, but he noticed that Raven hadn't even moved. "Remember what I did to Dr. Light? That's not even half of the pain I'll cause you."

Beast Boy once again dropped in his seat, this time even lower. He now knew that he had lost.

Now it was after breakfast and Raven was in her room, reading. Starfire had watched over Beast Boy as he consumed his meal. Luckily for him, Silkie had finished his food first and went and ate Beast Boy's food.

Her novel was becoming intense, and it was only the beginning of the book. Raven turned page after page after page. She just could not stop reading. A single line, however, halted her persistent reading: " 'It's a basic code, you must decrypt it.' "

Raven was suddenly found scanning her brain. _Could it be? _She grabbed the letter that was lying atop her pillow. Raven looked at the letter, then into the text of her book. They were different messages, but they were both jumbled up. She read the next few lines until she spotted a particular one: '_I found it! The next letter replaced each letter in the message! So a B was actually A!_'

Raven dropped the book, stunned. She began shaking apprehensively. Slowly, she grazed the letters of the note with her fingertips. She took in a deep breath and began her decryption. Letter-by-letter, Raven began to solve her mystery. Slowly but surely her love note began to unfold before her eyes. The first time through, Raven didn't pay attention to whole words, just letters at a time; she would go back and read it after she had finished deciphering the letter.

Finally, she had completed it. Raven looked at the note, scared to read it. She decided to take the plunge. Taking a deep breath, Raven closed her eyes. _Here we go. _The note read:

Dear Raven,

I just want you to know, I love you. Meet me on the roof at two pm.

Anonymous

Raven was absolutely speechless; she had no idea what to do. She looked at the clock.

_10:16_

She still had another four hours to wait in sheer anticipation. Raven then decided to take a visit into her mind.

-

_A_top Titan's Tower, a shadowy figure crossed to the center of the rooftop. He laid down a metal box. It was labeled:

To Raven

From you not-so-secret admirer

The figure then stared up at the dark and gloomy sky, hoping that his day would not be thrown out in the rain. As droplets of water began descending from the sky, the figure ran towards the edge of the tower and leapt into the cold air, disappearing into the darkness.

-

_R_aven's mind was rather… plush. Raven thought that she had literally lost her mind. The usually dark skies were a warm burgundy color. The ground was covered in lush greenery. The four-eyed demon birds had become four-eyed chirping blue jays. Raven continued the path and could have sworn she'd seen a bunny hop by.

Soon Raven was greeted with a Starfire-like hug. "Hey Raven! Happy V-Day!"

"Let… me… go…" Raven demanded through gasps for air. Soon after, her pink-cloaked counterpart released her and a wave of oxygen refilled her lungs. After regaining full consciousness, Raven decided to ask, "Uh, what the _hell _is going on here?"

The pink-clad Raven just smiled and said, "It's Valentine's Day silly! This is what it looks like in here on Valentine's Day!"

"Why haven't I ever seen it like this?"

"You've never been here on Valentine's Day!" the emotion chirped. "Come on!" she grabbed Raven and dragged her further into her mind. They passed through embroidered pillar and soon reached a meadow in which many figures were standing.

Raven's intelligence counterpart approached her, "Greeting Raven, I trust you are enjoying the festivities. Happiness here decorated the place."

"So I've seen." She said shaking free of Happiness' grip on her.

Intelligence intervened before the two killed each other, "There is something we need to discuss." Intelligence led Raven to the rest of her emotions. There were some new ones, but Raven knew Intelligence would fill her in. "Raven, this," she said, pointing to a rather uncomfortable version of her wearing a turquoise robe, "is Anticipation. The love letter you just read has brought her to existence."

Raven eyed the eager girl, she then eyed a teal-cloaked girl, "Who's that?" She asked.

"That," Intelligence began, "is worry. The letter you received has also incited this emotion to come forth. Part of you is worried about who your admirer is and if he'll really like you."

Raven took all of this is in, bit-by-bit. Soaking all of this up was proving to be rather baffling to Raven; _I didn't know that I could create new emotions. _Raven decided to ask Intelligence, "Since when can I make new emotions?"

"Well Raven," the yellow-clothed girl began, "you've always been able to create new emotions and, in a sense, these new ones have always been apart of you. No matter what, all emotions are in your soul. It just takes a dose of that emotion to instill them to come out. We've been with you from the start, Anger, Happy, Timid, Courage, and myself. We are the basic emotions, the roots to all other ones. Emotions run much deeper than what appears on the surface."

Raven now understood what she meant. _So I was born with these root emotions, but as I grew older and experienced extensions of them, new emotion began to form! It's just like a cluster, you have one main idea and somehow you get many sub-ideas from that one. _

"Raven," Intelligence's voice interrupted Raven's thoughts, "there is something you need to see." Raven just looked at her counterpart and to the rest of them, "You see, ever since you and Robin had broken up another new emotion was born. Love."

Raven just stared, as if questioning her. It soon became difficult to breathe; she hated thinking about Robin and what she used to share with him. Her emotions were creating a heat that began to raise her chest. "W-what's happened?" She asked.

"You see," Intelligence choked on a lump in her throat, "Love, is nearing her death. She can't go on much longer without satisfying her needs. Raven, each of us needs you to express to our abilities. It's like letting us out of a sealed chamber to get some fresh air. Love was left in the chamber and hasn't gotten the fresh air Raven. After the break-up, we were devastated, all of us. But Love here, she was not taking it well, it's not like Love is an emotion that comes around very often. You had locked her up Rae, and you threw away the key. Now, unless you want her to die, you need to allow someone to unlock your heart."

Raven stared at each of her present emotions, "What if I don't?"

"She dies at midnight tonight, and Trigon breaks free through her shattered soul."

Now Raven understood, Love was a necessity, it wasn't like Happy. Raven could not just ignore her for long periods of time. Trigon would break free if Raven didn't fulfill her heart's deepest desire; Love.

"Where is she?" Raven demanded. She needed to talk to Love. There had to be another way, her head told her that there was another way but her heart disagreed. She couldn't help but believe her heart.

Happy stepped forward. She grabbed Intelligence's hand and soon all of the emotions were linking together in a circle. Raven stood in the middle.

"Raven, levitate." She did as she was told; she began to float a foot off of the ground.

Together, Raven and her emotions chanted their signature mantra, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" The girls were engulfed in a cloud of darkness and soon appeared in a much more depressing environment. It was like what Raven expected to see when she first entered her mind but much drearier.

Intelligence led Raven and her emotions through the clearing, soon they a meadow of fog. They entered the hazy gas and soon reached a clearing. In the center of the clearing was a Raven look-alike. The only difference was that this Raven was wearing a burgundy cloak. The girl was floating, her back facing the ground that her cloak grazed.

The group approached the floating figure cautiously. Courage led them all to the girl. When they reached her, Raven gasped. Love was pale; the usual ashen skin was not nearly completely white. Her eyes were glazed and shone in the dim lighting.

Raven placed a hand over her face. It began to glow blue. Raven was attempting to heal her. Just as Raven began to emit her powers, a brown covered hand grabbed hers. Raven followed the hand to see a sad-looking version of her. "You can't do anything to help her." She said disheartened.

"Who are you?" Raven asked as she snatched her hand back.

"This is Discouragement." Intelligence stated. "Now, there will be time for more formal introductions later. Raven, you've got to decide. What's it going to be?"

Raven gave her an annoyed look, "As if I had a choice." She scoffed.

Suddenly, a weak coughing interrupted their dispute. Each of the emotions turned to see whom it was, surely enough it was Love. She had awoken.

The girl slowly opened her eyes; it proved to be a rather painful task. Once Love had adjusted to the scenery she scanned her fellow emotions and soon saw Raven. "Nice to… finally meet you… Raven." It was difficult for her to even process what Love was saying to her. When Raven finally realized that it was painful for Love to speak, she shut her eyes tight and chanted her mantra. A black, shadowed raven left her mind and penetrated Love's.

"Is this better?" Raven asked. All there was was darkness. Two female figures stood, talking.

"Yes, much better. Thank you." Love seemed as if nothing was ever wrong with her. She spoke clearly and decisively. "What is it you wish to speak about? I… don't have much time."

That last statement shot daggers through Raven's heart, "Th-that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Raven took a deep breath, unsure of how to word her thoughts. "I-I'm so confused. There is this incredible burden upon my shoulders and I can't do this alone. I'm supposed to have found love by midnight. That isn't really something I've mastered." Raven looked down to the ground, ashamed of herself. She just couldn't change her personality and find the love of her life in less than twenty-four hours.

Love walked towards Raven and raised her face by gently lifting her chin, "Now Raven, I do not want you to think about me with this situation. This is about you, not me. I don't want you to fret just because of me. Remember this is for you, this will be a life-lasting decision that _you _have to make."

"But it's not just about me, or you. This could mean the unleashing of Trigon and the destruction of the world! This is _much _bigger than you and I."

"Is it?" It was amazing how those two words perplexed Raven to no end. _Is it more than us? Can we handle Trigon again? _"You've destroyed Trigon with the help of all of your emotions before. Not to mention that now there are additions to your emotions, the odds are only being stacked more so in your favor."

"What about you?" Raven asked, her voice failing her. "What if you die, will I ever be able to love?"

Now it was Love's turn to think, "I-I can't make promises Raven. But anything is possible. If your heart is in it, then of course you can love again! I just don't know if you could ever again have a genuine love for someone."

Raven remained silent, she refused to cry. She would not allow her father to see her pain. Raven let out a sigh as she turned to leave. "I'll do what I can."

"Remember Raven-" Love began.

Raven interjected, "I know, do it for love, not for you. I know."

In a flash Raven appeared back in front of the unconscious form of Love, she couldn't help that her complexion had gotten slightly rosy. Raven cracked a saddened smile. _I'll do what I can._

Without saying a word to her other counterparts, Raven chanted, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." She disappeared from her mind and soon appeared sitting on her bed, next her note and the mirror, which led into her mind. Raven held the letter in her hand and held it close to her heart. She soon remembered that she needed to be on the roof at 2:00. She looked up to her grandfather clock.

_12: 57_

Raven had about an hour. She decided to freshen up first. Raven knew she had already taken a shower that morning, but she wanted to take this shower more so that she had a chance to organize her thoughts in a peaceful environment. She slid out of her cloak and boots and strolled into her private restroom.

-

Starfire was in her bedroom, reading through her love notes. She hadn't even read half of the letters yet, but there was a pile of thirty envelopes on her floor. She had a long day ahead of her.

_Hmm, this one seems to be from Speedy! Oh I have not had the pleasure viewing his external form in many earth years!_

Starfire remembered when she had first met Speedy. It was just after Cyborg had destroyed Brother Blood. Just before the Titans departed from the Titans East Headquarters, Speedy had approached her and took her aside. They had a polite conversation for about five minutes and within those five minutes; Starfire realized that Speedy was more than she could ever hope to receive from Robin. Before her departure, Starfire gave Speedy a peck on the cheek, she hoped to see him once more and felt that this was her chance.

-

Cyborg was thumbing through his opened letters, debating which candidate would be his lucky winner. He had eventually narrowed it down to two contestants: Bumblebee, the feisty leader of Titans East and Jinx, the witty sorceress from the HIVE.

In the end Cyborg chose Bumblebee. He found that what he had felt for Jinx was nothing more than a mere infatuation, not to mention that it could hurt the team and him. She was after all a villain and Cyborg had no intention on putting himself in the position to be hurt. He and Bumblebee had definitely had some chemistry during their working together, Cyborg couldn't help but admire her independence and compassionate leadership skills. It would be nice to be with someone he could have an intelligent conversation with. Although Cyborg often came off as immature, that was only because he only spent time with Beast Boy and Starfire, you can't learn too much from either of them.

-

Beast Boy on the other hand, was currently staring shocked at a letter he had received. He too had received a love letter the sassy sorceress Jinx. At first he was utterly appalled at the fact that Jinx would want to have anything to do with him. But as he read her words, he soon felt something that he had never felt for another girl since Terra: Genuine Caring.

Inside, Beast Boy knew that Valentine's Day would be difficult without Terra with him. He longed to have someone to hold. Ever since Terra's death, Beast Boy had grown attached to Raven, but that was around the time she had hooked up with Robin. Out of respect for both of them, he decided to keep his feelings away. Beast Boy still had feelings for Raven but after reading Jinx's letter to him, it was as if all of his feelings for Raven had subsided.

Now Jinx was in the picture. In fact, now that he thought about it, Jinx had caught his eye during battles. Beast Boy had often been drawn to the spell-caster's beauty, nearly costing the Titans a battle or two.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Beast Boy grabbed a pencil out from under his nightstand and found a clean sheet of paper. Her jumped over to his computer stand and began writing back to Jinx. He could only hope the other Titans would not find out.

-

Robin, meanwhile, lay awake on his bed. He had decided to stop readin his letters after he had read one that was address from Kitten. Robin had to try and shake away the thought of his situation with Kitten, Killer Moth, and Fang. As he scanned the memories, he remembered the dance that he and Star had shared. It was then that Robin realized Starfire was not actually the girl of his dreams.

Up until that one dance with Starfire, Robin had thought that he was madly in love with the fair-haired alien. But upon dancing with her, something he had been waiting to do for the longest time, he saw that he felt nothing as the swayed around the dance floor. That one moment between the two had put out any fireworks that Robin had felt for Starfire.

Soon after his revelation, Robin began seeing something blossom from Raven. Free from the hold Starfire had on his emotions, Robin had the chance to explore his new feelings. Raven, he had realized, was a most beautiful woman and still is. But what Robin saw in Raven was something that he had never seen in Starfire; he saw maturity. Star had a cute, innocent beauty, while Raven possessed a more mature, exotic splendor. At one point or another, Robin and Raven began to have little talks.

These conversations between them soon turned into nightly rendezvous. They would talk about whatever friends would talk about; personal issues, past experiences, secret crushes, and whatever else they could think of. Soon, Robin and Raven became the best of friends. They were close; they knew everything about the other. Almost everything. One thing that Robin hadn't told Raven was that he was madly in love with her. He would have told her, but one night Raven had decided to inform Robin of her emotional withdrawal. Having heard this, Robin questioned whether he should tell her or not.

Raven never would have found out about Robin's feelings if she hadn't heard him talking to himself one night. That night, Raven found out that not only did Robin have feelings for her; he was also in love with her. Upon leaving Robin heard her. Without words, she crossed the room and embraced him. No words were needed.

It was all downhill from there. Raven was always found alone, night after night. Robin stayed up late working on leads, mostly about Slade. Raven went from spending her nights talking with her lover to holding herself at night crying.

Raven cut it off after only two months.

Now Robin lay in his bed, thinking about his last days with Raven. He wished that he could somehow go back and make things right. But now, Robin just had to keep looking forward and focus on what he could do now to fix it.

He had already begun his plan.

-

She stepped out of the shower into the steam-filled room. Raven grabbed the same burgundy towel from that morning and toweled off.

Once dry, Raven exited the bathroom. She really didn't feel like wearing her uniform, so Raven thought. She soon remembered that she had a spare change of clothes hid under her bed. If ever Raven did not want to wear her uniform, she would wear a black, long-sleeved shirt that hung off of her shoulder and a pair of khaki Capri pants. Raven put these clothes on and even put her hair up in a ponytail. She levitated over to her mirror just to check her reflection. Upon placing her mirror in its rightful place, Raven had a thought. _Oh my God I'm already changing. _

Raven thought of her subconscious activity as a sign. After remembering that she needed to keep an eye on the time, Raven looked at her large clock:

_1:48_

Raven took a deep breath, _Okay, it's not time quite yet. _Raven made a pathetic attempt to wait but anxiety got the best of her. At 1:56 Raven had slid into some sneakers and was well on her way to the roof.

The halls seemed much longer, as if they were never-ending. Raven found that she was just now passing Starfire's room. She felt she had been walking for miles.

Finally she had reached the end of the corridor. The living room was empty; Raven assumed the rest of the Titans were still within their rooms, reading their love letters. Raven eyed the staircase leading from the kitchen to the roof. She began to walk to the stairway. As she finally made it to the stairs she felt anxiety and nervousness at full force. Raven began to ascend the flight of steps. Step-by-step, Raven went up and step-by-step her legs got heavier and heavier. Raven's adrenaline was pumping furiously; her heart would burst through her chest if it beat any quicker.

At last, she had reached the single door, the one piece of metal separating her from the biggest decision of her life. She raised her hand to the handle and pulled it back. The door swung open and a gust of wet wind flew into Raven's face.

No one was atop the roof. All there was was a metal box in the center of the roof. Raven looked around, double-checking no one was present. After mentally scanning for life-signs, Raven floated to the box under a protective shield made by her own dark energy.

Now Raven was standing before the box, still under the shield. She reached down and lifted the lid off of the metal package. Within the protective metal, were a red envelope, and a heart-shaped box of chocolates. Raven picked up the envelope and read the handwritten letter:

Dear Raven,

I do not know how exactly to express my undying love for you. There are few women that have truly captured my heart. You are by far the most captivating of them all. I can't stand not having you in my arms right now, being able to hold you, keep you warm. I want you close to my heart.

If you want to find out who I am follow the trail of roses. The roses will lead you to find what your heart desires most.

Anonymous

Raven slowly lifted her gaze from the letter and stared off into the distance. This day was turning out to be a great big riddle. She had received yet another letter from her secret admirer. The note was handwritten this time, but it was still so cleverly disguised. Flawless. Raven had no clue as to which the letter could have been from. _Follow the trail of roses. _What did this mean? Raven reached down and grasped her chocolates. She clutched the letter and the chocolates close to her heart.

Slowly, Raven about-faced and began her way back to her bedroom. She floated down the flight of stairs wondering if she would ever discover the identity of her hidden lover.

She walked through the kitchen and up to the curtain leading to her room. Raven walked through the curtains and looked down at what lay before her. _Follow the trail of roses. _Before her lay a trail of roses, alternating colors, a pattern: red, violet, pink, white, red, violet, pink white, and so on.

Raven realized that she would discover the identity of her anonymous aficionado at the end of the trail. She picked up the flowers as she passed them. At the end of the trail, Raven had sixteen roses. But at the end of the trail, she stood before her bedroom. In a wave of angst, Raven pressed the five-digit passkey. The door flew open, but Raven kept her eyes shut, worried of who may stand on the other side of the door. Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw no one. Not one person was in there; nothing was out of place, just as she left it. Raven stepped into the room and scanned it. No one. Raven let out a disappointed sigh and walked over to her nightstand, grabbed her empty vase and placed the roses in there. Next to the vase, Raven set down her chocolates and letters. Raven flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes.

"Hey Raven," someone stood her open door.

Raven shot up in her bed to meet the gaze of her leader.

"Robin? What do you want?" She spat disgustedly.

"Why, I'm hurt Raven. I thought you wanted to know who I was." The masked Titan stated sarcastically.

Raven rolled her eyes, "Robin, I already know wh-" Suddenly Raven realized what he meant. Raven's anonymous admirer was Robin. "Y-you?"

Robin smiled and nodded, "Yeah. Raven," he began as he crossed the room to her, "I want you to know that I meant every word I wrote. I love you Rae. Always have."

Raven was speechless, "No. Stay away from me. You know I can't do this Robin. Not again. _Not ever._"

Robin felt his whole world crashing down around him. Raven had just rejected him again "Raven please. I've changed." _I've changed? That's the best I could say! _Robin mentally scolded himself.

Raven stood and walked to her window, "Robin, I can't put myself in that position again. I don't want to hurt anymore."

"But Raven, I won't hurt you. I've learned from my mistakes."

"You said that before Robin. I'm sorry but _we _can never be. I wish I could love you again Robin. I wish I could open my heart to you again. But opening up to you only clarified my initial fears of pain. If I gave you another chance, you'd only get caught up in your work again. I felt even more alone when you promised me you'd be with me and stayed up all night working." Raven tried her best not to cry, but she had to allow a tear or two to escape.

"Raven, I don't know what else to say," this was not going as Robin had planned.

"Then don't say anything," Raven began pushing Robin to the door. "Just accept the fact that we're teammates and that's all we'll ever be."

Before Robin could protest, Raven's door shut in his face. Frustrated, Robin punched the wall opposing Raven's door. He tried to hide his tears, but they soon flowed freely.

In Raven's room, Raven sat on her bed. She hugged her legs to her chest and silently cried. Raven knew that she loved Robin, but she could not set herself up for that pain. Not again. Raven thought that she should go into her mind, but she just wanted to remain alone. Raven lay back on her bed and cried herself into a peaceful slumber. She dreamt of Robin and all that they could have been.

Robin dragged himself down to corridor. He felt like he could just literally die. He thought that he would just be able to sweep Raven off her feet. _How could I be so stupid? _Robin entered the living room and crossed over to the couch. He lie down on the couch and slowly fell asleep. Raven filled his dreams. He knew that his dreams were the only place he could have her now.

-

Starfire was lying on her bed with her phone receiver in her hand. She dialed the seven-digit number and waiting as it rung once… twice… thrice… "Hello?" A voice answered from the over end.

Starfire blushed at the sound of his voice, "Uh hello Speedy. I got your letter."

"Oh you did? Well uh-" Speedy stuttered, not sure of what to say.

"If you are wishing to take me on a 'date' then I would love to be your friend of girls."

It took Speedy a minute to decipher what it was that Starfire was saying, "Oh, okay. How about the movies at seven?"

Starfire beamed, "Oh I would love that! I shall see you when the clock of alarms speaks that it is of the seven."

This time, Speedy knew exactly what she said, "Okay. I'll swing by the tower at seven to pick you up. Oh and Star?"

"Yes?"

"Call me Roy." With that Roy hung up the phone, leaving Starfire breathless. She followed suit by hanging up the receiver as well. She fell back onto her bed feeling as giddy as ever. Starfire decided to take a quick nap to pass the time. First she looked at her clock:

_3:34pm_

After checking the time, Starfire fell back asleep. Dreaming about different versions of her and Roy's date.

-

On the other side of the tower, Cyborg stood in front of a large screen waiting. Suddenly a face popped up on the screen.

"Hey Sparky." She said.

"Uh, hey Bee." Cyborg began blushing; he had never looked at Bumblebee as a girlfriend until now. "I uh, got your letter."

The once sassy façade of Bumblebee was replace by an intent, nervous one, "Oh, you did?"

"Yeah." Cyborg knew no other way to do this but to just come right out and say it, "I like you too Bee. You're like my equal. I've always liked a challenge and that's exactly what you are."

Bumblebee blushed, "Wow, I-I wasn't expecting this reaction. Uh, when can I see you Vic?"

Cyborg smirked, he loved the way she said his name, "How 'bout now? I'll come pick you up."

Bumblebee smiled widely, "Okay, I'll go get ready." Bumblebee blew a kiss to Cyborg before buzzing off.

Cyborg breathed in deeply and smiled before exhaling. _I think I'll give Victor another chance. _With that Cyborg pressed a few buttons on his panel and soon turned into Victor Stone.

-

Meanwhile Beast Boy was in his closet looking for something nice to put on. He had just gotten out of the shower. He scrambled through his closet, throwing clothes onto the floor of his room. He found a pair of blue jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt. He put them on then found a pair of shoes and socks. He slid into those and spiked his hair like normal.

Beast Boy went to check himself in the mirror. When he was confident he was ready, he morphed into a crow and flew out the window. He remembered where HIVE Headquarters was located. It was just on the opposite side of town, Beast Boy could get there pretty quickly. He soared through the busy streets of Jump City.

Beast Boy reached his destination in about ten minutes. The HIVE HQ was no longer hidden, as he had remembered. It seemed that since Brother Blood's fall, the HIVE was low on criminal activity. The institution had become nothing more than a school in which gifted people learned the depth of their powers. Beast Boy still decided that it would be smart to sneak in. After landing on the side of the building, Beast Boy morphed into a cockroach and crawled along the side of the building and then went inside a crack, which led inside.

Once inside, Beast Boy scanned the area. The halls were silent. He morphed back into his usual self and quickly walked down the corridors. He remembered Jinx's room number from Cyborg's memory file Bumblebee had shared with the other Titans. _Room 204. _Beast Boy looked to the nearest room. _217. _The room numbers decreased as he continued, _Just around the corner. _He thought to himself.

-

He was zooming down the street in the T-Car. Cyborg couldn't wait to see Bumblebee. He continued down the highway and saw a large Tower come into view. It was the Titans East HQ.

Soon Cyborg had parked the T-Car and was now at the front door of the tower. He knocked; all was silent for a while. Soon Cyborg heard footsteps approaching. The door flung open to reveal Speedy, "Hey Cyborg." He said with a grin on his face.

Cyborg looked at him like he was crazy, "Uh, hey Speedy."

Speedy stepped to the side, "Bee's right down the hall. You remember, right?"

"Uh, yeah," Cyborg to take a bite, "So why are you here? Got no Valentine?"

"Actually, I'm on my way to pick her up right now."

Cyborg took note of the casual clothing Speedy was wearing, "I see, well I won't keep ya'. Have fun kiddo." Cyborg said as he ruffled up Speedy's hair.

Speedy shot a glare at his former leader as he walked towards Bumblebee's bedroom.

Speedy exited the tower and realized that it was too early. He groaned, impatient, and receded back into the Tower and flopped down on the couch to wait for seven o'clock to come.

Cyborg walked down the hall looking for Bumblebee's room. _Second on the right. _He thought to himself. He finally reached her door. Cyborg knocked, "Come in!" Rang her voice.

Her door swished open before Cyborg, he saw bumblebee and she took his breath away. Her hair was let down, it hung down to the center of her back. She was wearing a blue blouse, which hung, off of her left shoulder and a pair of khaki pants. She was also barefoot. She had no intention of leaving that room today.

-

Now Beast Boy in front of Jinx's door. _Room 204. _He took a deep breath and rapped quietly on her door. He waited for about ten seconds before Jinx opened her door. "H-hey Beast Boy. I-I didn't think you'd come."

"Neither did I." He stated, "But I really wanted to, c-can I come in?"

Jinx peaked out and looked around. "Come on." She opened the door all the way and let Beast Boy enter. Jinx's room was like a cross between what Beast Boy thought Raven's and Starfire's would be like. There were a lot of dark colors, but it was very plush. Dark purples, hot pinks. Beast Boy turned and saw Jinx's full figure. She was truly stunning. Jinx had her hair straightened and put into a ponytail. She was wearing a pink tank top and a black skirt. No shoes no socks.

"Wow, uh, you look great." Beast Boy said staring at the beauty before him.

Jinx visibly blushed, "Thanks." She crossed the room and stood right in front of Beast Boy, she was just shorter than him. Nearly eye level. "I'm really glad you came."

Beast Boy smiled, "Me too."

Jinx grabbed Beast Boy's hands and led him over to her bed where they sat down, "We should talk. About our situation."

Beast Boy's face saddened, "I know. If we're going to do this, we need to keep it quiet for now."

Jinx nodded, "Yeah, I mean I really like you and I think it's safe to assume that you like me too."

Beast Boy nodded.

"I guess that's pretty much it. It wouldn't be smart for me to try and infiltrate Titan's Tower."

"Yeah, so I'll just come here see you at night from now on."

Jinx smiled and latched onto Beast Boy, "You're the best Beast Boy." Jinx raised her eyes to meet Beast Boys loving gaze. They stared into each other's eyes for a full minute. They began to inch closer and closer. Soon the two teens could feel the other's breath. Beast Boy claimed Jinx's lips in a passionate kiss.

-

At the Titans East Headquarters, Cyborg stood in front of Bumblebee in her room. He stared at the captivating teen before him. Her beauty hypnotized him.

"Bee, you look great." He complimented.

Bumblebee smiled and crossed the room to her boyfriend, "You, on the other hand." Bumblebee pressed a few camouflaged buttons on Cyborg's forearm. Soon he returned to his mechanical self.

"If you don't mind," Bumblebee began, "I prefer Cyborg over Stone."

Cyborg smiled, "Any reason why?" He asked as he embraced Bumblebee.

"Well, I want you to be who you are. Not who you wish you were. Besides, I fell in love with Cyborg, not Victor Stone."

Cyborg suddenly went serious, "Y-you love me?"

Bumblebee looked up into Cyborg's eyes, "Yeah, you captured my heart Cy. No one's ever done what you've done for me. You've stolen me away." In a slow swift motion, Bumblebee kissed Cyborg full on the lips. It was an intense, passionate kiss. The two were lost in each other's embrace.

In the living room of the Tower, Speedy stared at the clock:

_5:28pm… and now 5:29_

He fell back on the couch, more impatient that ever.

-

_I_n Starfire's room at Titan's Tower, she awoke, rested. Starfire looked at her digital clock:

_6:04pm_

"Oh!" Her alarm did not go off. Starfire jumped up from her bed and flew into her bathroom. She turned on her shower and the water spewed from the showerhead. Starfire hopped into the water and began to wash herself.

When Starfire emerged from her shower, she quickly grabbed her pink towel and dried herself off. As she exited the bathroom, Starfire looked at the clock again:

_6:46pm_

_Oops! I guess I took a little longer than I had once meant to do. _In a rush, Starfire went into her closet and scavenged for clothes. She found a green and pink spaghetti-strap dress. She put the dress on over her undergarments and zipped it up in the back. The dress proved to be a little snug around Starfire's breasts and hips.

Starfire checked the dress in her large mirror. The dress stopped at her knees and was much looser by the time it got there. Pleased with the dress, Starfire moved to her closet again and found a pair of heels. She slid into open-toe shoes and strapped them up. Starfire then pulled her hair back into a ponytail and did her make-up.

When Starfire was finally finished and pleased with the final results, she looked out the window to see a red car coming into view across the harbor. She saw the driver and saw that it was Roy. Starfire decided to exit through her window. She flew out and down over the water. She made it to the boardwalk where Roy was parked and got into the passenger seat.

"Greetings Roy. Where is it you will be taking us to for our viewing pleasure and sustenance?"

Roy smiled, he was finally with the girl of his dreams, "You just wait." Before they drove off, Roy reached to the backseat of the car and pulled up a rose. He placed it in Starfire's hair. The orange-skinned alien blushed; Roy was remarkably close to her face. After Roy dropped his hand from Star's head, he found himself lost in Starfire's emerald eyes.

"Would you like to partake in the locking of the lips with me?" Starfire asked innocently.

Roy was taken aback by the girl's comment, "W-well, a-actual-"

Before Roy could finish his statement, Starfire obtained his lips in a fervent kiss.

Starfire pulled back smiled and Roy was dazed, "I am now ready for departure boyfriend Roy."

Roy beamed, happy. Without speaking a word, Roy put the car in drive and rocketed into the city.

-

_R_aven awoke from her slumber. Her eyes stung as she opened them, her tears had dried and left her eyes puffy.

Raven was starving; she hadn't eaten anything all day. Raven got out of her bed and exited her room. Raven began her way down the halls. The tower was eerily silent, but Raven thought nothing of it. As she made it to the living room, Raven found that fatigue was defeating her. Her began to glaze over. Raven could no longer stand. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and all went black.

Raven hit the floor.

-

Robin's eyes slowly cracked open, his eyes were still wet with tears. He was still crying in his sleep. Robin sat up on the couch and held his face in his hands.

Robin stood and went into the kitchen. He was still hungry seeing as how he never ate breakfast. Robin opened the refrigerator and found a sandwich he had made the other day. He tried to eat but found that he couldn't. He had to talk to Raven again. He made his way through the darkened tower and headed for Raven's room. Before he made it to the corridor, he hit something. He looked down and stared in horror at the figure that lay before him. It was Raven.

Robin panicked. He didn't know what to do. He checked Raven for vital signs, nothing. He picked her up in his arms and rushed her to the Tower's infirmary. Robin kicked open the doors of the medical wing and rushed Raven to a bed for examination. He laid her down softly on the bed and went to the nearby computer and began typing.

Malnutrition; Raven hadn't eaten at all that and combined with the stress and emotional peril, the fatigue had gotten to her. It wouldn't be safe to force feed Raven while she was sleep. Robin had to act fast, Raven wasn't breathing. He began to induce CPR; reluctantly Robin began pounding Raven's chest. It pained Robin to have to do it. He felt as if he was hurting her. Robin soon found that his attempts to revive his fallen comrade were futile. He had to use mouth-to-mouth. Robin plugged Raven's nose and opened her mouth. He forced air into her mouth about twenty times. Robin was feeling light-headed and Raven's condition was not changing. After attempting to revitalize Raven numerous times and failing Robin sat down in a chair near Raven and cried. The worst had happened. It appeared Raven was no more.

-

At the HIVE HQ in Jinx's quarters, Beast Boy lay with Jinx on her bed; it was just after nine o'clock. Beast Boy had his arms wrapped around Jinx's waist, their finger laced together. Beast Boy decided he would stay the night with Jinx.

"Gar?" Jinx asked.

"Yeah?" He replied sitting up.

"I-if the other Titans found out about us, would you leave me?" Jinx had never felt so vulnerable before, she knew that she loved Garfield Logan; she just needed a little reassurance.

"Of course not. I-I love you Jinx." He stuttered.

Jinx's unsure veneer was replaced with a joyous one. She once again embraced Beast Boy, he wrapped his arms around her and the two lie back onto the bed and fell asleep, their newfound love had blossomed.

-

Bumblebee and Cyborg swayed, dancing to a slow song on Bumblebee's radio. Bumblebee hummed along with the song playing, she felt safe in Cyborg's arms. She moved closer to him, loving his embrace.

The song finished and the two lovers's ended their dance with a kiss.

Cyborg looked to clock:

_10:00pm_

"Hey uh, it's getting late. Maybe I should-"

"Stay here tonight." Bumblebee offered. "Everyone's out, we won't be disturbed. We could just lay here all night and talk."

Cyborg pondered that for a moment, "I'd like that."

That night, the two slept in each other's arms.

-

Speedy and Starfire exited the movie theatre laughing and holding hands, they reminisced about the movie they had just watched.

"That was hilarious!" Speedy bellowed.

"I concur!" Starfire added.

Once they finished they laughing fit, Starfire and Speedy headed to the pizza parlor for dinner. Starfire proposed that they order a cotton candy, powdered sugar, blackberry pizza. Speedy, however introduced Starfire to the wonders of Hawaiian pizza.

In the middle of their eating, Speedy found himself staring at Star. _God she's beautiful. _The beautiful girl sitting across from him captivated him.

Starfire looked up at Speedy and caught his gaze, "Is something the matter Roy?"

Roy just smiled and continued staring at Starfire, "You're so beautiful Starfire."

Starfire blushed at his comment, "Thank you. You are beautiful too." She complimented.

Roy just laughed and grabbed Starfire's hand, "What do you say I take you back the Titans East Tower and we stay there for the night."

"You mean like a slumber party in which we talk about cute boys and watch the flicks of chicks?"

Roy went blank, "Uh no. I mean like when two people who like each other spend time together and get to know one another."

"I would like that very much. Perhaps you may teach what my friends have not already taught me of Earth's customs."

"Of course." Speedy stood and Starfire followed, he left the tip and payment for the meal on the table. Starfire latched onto Speedy's arm and the two of them walked to Roy's car.

-

Raven cracked her eyes open to be met with an intensely bright light. She took a minute to get used to the lighting. Once she was comfortable with the light, she noticed that she heard noises. She looked down and saw a mourning Robin.

"Robin?" Raven asked, confused.

Robin looked up and met the gaze of his lost love, "Raven!" He fought every nerve in his body to not hug her and let his tears flow, "You're okay!"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Raven, you passed out. You hadn't eaten today, and combined with what's been going on with us, it must have caught up to you. I tried CPR but you weren't breathing. You've been out for nearly six hours. I was so worried I'd lost you."

Raven took all of this in slowly; _He was here the whole time? With me? Worried? Maybe he has changed. _"Robin you were worried about me?"

"Of course I was Rae. I told you, I love you." Robin was surprised at how these words were just flowing from him, "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you Raven." All the tears Robin had been holding back now came back at full force.

Raven was shocked at Robin's show of affection, "Robin," she said breathless. Raven now knew that she had always loved Robin, she was just too afraid of rejection. She cupped his face and made him look and her. Robin placed his hands over Raven's, "I love you too." Raven leaned forward and kissed Robin's lips. He replied by standing up and wrapping his arms around the kneeling Raven. She placed her arms around his neck.

Items in the infirmary were exploding simultaneously, but no one and no thing could tear these two apart. Raven broke the kiss and stared into Robin's soul with sated eyes, she was happy again. Raven still had no energy, her grasp on Robin began to give, and he scooped her up in his arms and carried the girl into the kitchen. Robin grabbed the sandwich he had left in the refrigerator and gave it to Raven.

After finishing the sandwich, Raven was fully rested. She and Robin moved into the living room and sat on the couch.

"Uh, Raven, about before. I'm sorry."

Raven looked up into Robin's masked eyes, she placed a hand on his, "I know. It's just that. I was so upset about what we used to be. Ever since then, I've wanted to be back with you. I was just unsure, I didn't want to be hurt again." Raven looked away from Robin. Each Titan was feeling more vulnerable than ever.

Raven felt Robin's arms warp around her waist, she waited for an item to explode but nothing did, "Raven, I'm so sorry, for everything. I never intended to hurt you. But I did, and I've learned from my mistakes. I love Rae and I never want to lose you again."

Raven looked into Robin's would-be eyes and could tell that what he was saying was genuine, "I believe you Robin. I never want to lose you either. I never thought that I could find one true love, but you have opened that door up for me. I thank you for that."

Robin just smiled and embraced Raven. They both laid back on the couch, Raven lay on Robin's chest; his heartbeat and warm embrace lulled her to sleep. The last thing Raven saw that was the clock:

_11:59 pm… 12:00_

How was it? Review please!


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